Firefox 2 Alpha 3
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CNET Editors' Take
While changes within Firefox 2 Alpha 3 are bolder and better than those in Alpha 2, this version is still best suited only for developers and the technically adventurous.
Antiphishing monitor
Mozilla has partnered with Google to provide its antiphishing technology natively within the browser. Currently you can download Google Safe Browsing as an extension, but within Firefox 2, the technology will be built in. Now whenever you search to a site Google has determined contains the potential phishing fraud, Firefox 2 displays a very visible warning near the address bar. Although currently limited to a set of built-in blacklisted sites, the Firefox/Google antiphishing tool has the capability to learn new sites and report new suspected fraud sites. As with other phishing monitors, such as the one to be included within Internet Explorer 7, you always have the option of continuing on to a suspected phishing site. And should a legitimate site display a warning, Google provides an online form to remove that site from its built-in blacklist.
Previously announced Firefox 2 features include:
Tabs
Firefox 2 includes Close buttons within the individual tabs, allowing you to quickly remove tabs no longer in use. Another tab-related change within Firefox 2 is the default capability for embedded page links to open new tabs, not new windows. Best new tab feature: automatic restoration of your current tab sessions in the event of a software crash.
Search
Within Firefox 2, you can quickly reorder your search engine preferences and take advantage of that engine's search-suggestion capabilities. Say you want to find information on the White House; just typing white gives you a drop-down menu of recent choices on Google, for example. Firefox 2 also recognizes specialized search engines, allowing you to add a search of, say, CNET content to your search engine list.
User Reviews
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"My new best friend" By arzynik
Pros: Same firefox interfeace we all love, great plugin support,
Cons: Minor bugs, search box glitches
Summary: At first I thought it was bulky, and took all the wrong plugins to be built in. But later I ended up liking those plugins much better than I had anticipated. The built in spell check is one of my favorite features now. It allows me to use the same ... Expand full review